A Gadsden County jury found Curtis Norris guilty of felony battery in the death of Billy Williams on Dec. 24, 2006 at the River Junction Work Camp in Chattahoochee. Norris was charged with second-degree murder after he and Williams argued and got into a physical altercation on Christmas Eve 2006.

The future of the Quincy-Gadsden Municipal Airport Authority is bright, according to a report given by Peter Green, consultant with the airport consulting firm of URS based in Tampa.

"We're ahead of the curve in generating more activity than the state predicted. We have 50 aircraft based here, which opens up all kinds of opportunities for us because that's what the (Florida) Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration look at when deciding how to allocate funds," Green said.

The Quincy Police Department was denied permission to begin the accreditation process using the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation as its monitoring agency. The commission works with police departments statewide to update policies, procedures and practices to make the departments professionally recognized agencies.

A Blountstown resident was found in the Apalachicola River Monday morning, near the area where a boating accident took place.

Jefferie Rector, 28, had been missing since Saturday afternoon after he and his passenger, 29-year-old Mark Hamilton of Marianna were thrown from the 14-foot aluminum boat they had borrowed from a relative of Rector’s.

Two fisherman fishing near the Jackson County Port Authority found the body. Hamilton was rescued by Havana resident Larry Hooper, who was also boating on the river. Hamilton suffered only minor injuries.

The Food Service Management Team, in conjunction with Superintendent Reginald James and the Gadsden County School Board, recognized Food Service Department managers, employees and retirees with a banquet on May 15 at the Parkway Conference Center in Quincy.

The retirees, Lessie Jackson, Johnny Sweet and Lois Carroll, were presented with a plaque and thanked for their many years of service.

Something is stirring. The Gadsden County Coalition for Change believes that students need for us to substantially raise the bar for education. The coalition is the latest of several groups, besides our heroic teachers and school board, to recognize the critical need to get students, parents, grandparents and neighbors involved in this timely endeavor for the sake of our county and our country.

East Gadsden High School held its Senior Class Night May 20, themed "A Night with the Stars." It's a tradition that has come to be expected. The young ladies were beautiful in their extravagant gowns and the young gentlemen were handsome and ready to take on the world in their tuxedos. How lovely they all looked.

The gymnasium was decorated by caring hands to fit the theme. The program noted that the decorations were done by Special Occasions by Robin; however, we offer a much-needed correction and recognition for those responsible for it.